MURAL EXHIBIT: THE COLORED CONVENTIONS MOVEMENT AND BEYOND IN PHILADELPHIA

INTRODUCTION

Click, hold, and drag the panoramic images above to get a clearer idea of the placement of the murals.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Thirty years before the Civil War, dozens of African American Philadelphians gathered at Bethel AME Church in response to a call by Bishop Richard Allen, founder of Bethel AME, to launch a national movement for Black civil rights, voting rights, education, abolition, and freedom from racial violence. Over the course of 70 years, tens of thousands of African American men, women, and children engaged in political organizing, with Philadelphia hosting at least eight conventions and generations of Pennsylvanians representing the state in conventions across the country. With this mural, we honor and remember the movement’s Philadelphian origins and recognize activists today who are the legacy of the movement, especially those who call this city their home.

Adjacent to the Colored Conventions mural is another mural that commemorates Black political organizing and protests since the Colored Conventions movement ended in 1900. This wall includes iconic moments from  the Civil Rights Movement: the March to Selma from the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Montgomery, the 1963 March on Washington to #BlackLivesMatter protests for Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Walter Wallace—a young man who was killed in Philadelphia. At the center of this 21st century panel is Kendra Van de Water who, with James Aye, co-founded the Philadelphia-based youth activist group YEAH Philly. YEAH Philly focuses on elevating the experiences of young Black people pushing back against oppressive systems through economic opportunities, conflict resolution, peer mediation, and community investment. Delores Y. Green’s name also appears on the mural. Green led a housing movement in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Southwark. She, along with ladies who lived in Southwark, organized a council and fought to keep their homes, which now serves as the site of the murals. The murals visually demonstrate the continuing struggle for freedom and rights which African Americans in Philadelphia have articulated, demanded, and secured. These Black men and women, their movements, and communities continue to carry on the work of the Colored Conventions over generations and into the future.

CREDITS

Written by Denise Burgher.

Mural Art by Ernel Martinez.

Page and interactive visualization created by Samantha Q. de Vera.